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I was at Borders today trying to get "The God of Animals" and it was sold out. The Borders guy raved about it. He also raved about several other books that I have read already and liked, so his raves had some credibility for me. Can't wait to read it.

If you believe everything you read, better not read. -- Japanese Proverb

I just read "The God of Animals", and I give it a mixed review. Nice enough story, good writing, decent horse stuff, but the story is very depressing. I finished it in 2 days, and was unsatisfied with the ending.

May I make a non-suggestion? DO NOT, under any circumstances, read the Fern Michaels Bluegrass series. What a waste of a tree- soooo bad!

This certainly isn't a "grown up book" but I really have never gotten tired of them!! Any and all of the Misty books! Even though they totally are fiction, when you get right down to it, they are great!

Meredith Barlow, EqDThttp://www.equidentistry.com
Meredith offers seminars on equine dentistry free of charge. Call or email to set up yours today!

The Tami Hoag book mentioned is "Dark Horse." And while the ex-cop rides dressage, most of the action takes place in the hunter-jumper portion of WEF, so you could say it's cross-cultural.

Also look for "In & Out: Year One in the Jumping for Gold Series," by Barbara Moss. It's raunchy and it's loaded with typos and you can see some of the plot "twists" from a mile away, but much like "Dallas" and "Falcon Crest," it's a fun guilty pleasure.

Don't forget "The Lady" by Anne McCaffrey as well as her "Ring of Fear"; "Cut Throat" by Lyndon Stacey; and the veterinarian mystery series by Laura Crum ("Cutter," "Hay Burner," "Rough Shod" and more).

If you like un-Harlequin romances (not, to paraphrase Seinfeld, that there's anything wrong with them!), Laura Moore has done a couple tolerable ones: "Chance Meeting" and "Ride a Dark Horse." Nora Roberts also has some horse-themed books: "Irish Hearts," "Irish Thoroughbred," "Irish Rebel" -- although I cannot remember which order they're actually supposed to be read in -- and "True Betrayals."

Add me to list of those who say "don't bother" with Fern Michaels' absolutely awful "Bluegrass" series. And if you want believability with characters you could actually stand to be in the same room with, run very very far away from Iris Johansen's "On the Run" ... that one set horse fiction back about a hundred years. <insert BLEECH icon here!>

Fantasy books

If you like the fantasy genre, here are some recommendations. These aren't just about horses but horses play a prominant role in the stories.
Kristin Britain: Green Rider and Rider's First Call (These are the 1st 2 in a series. I think they are actually for young adults but I'm an old adult and enjoyed them.)
Mercedes Lackey: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight and Arrow's Fall (This is a series of 3.)

Seabiscut is brilliant. One of the best books ever written(non-fiction) Made watching the movie highly disappointing.

I also have the book "Phar Lap', and it's very good. Interesting to know what really happened with this horse, outside of the drama of the film(Which I love, and have the original version which is much less dramatic than the US version)

I liked TAmi Hoag's Dark Horse, but the end just went into lunar orbit for me.

If you want a truly disturbing book, read House Rules. Excellent book, but not for the weak of mind/heart.

I have a book called "Perfect Distance', but its really bad. I got it cheap, used. I can dig it up to see who the author is. It's just badly written. I think there are two books out there with a similar title, but one is by far much better than the other--one is very difficult to attain.

If you are interested in finding horse novels/books, pop to Amazon's website. Punch in what you are looking for, and it will give you a list of books. Can't vouche for them, but it's fun!